Through the veil
It was time, for what felt like hours the priestess had waited for dawn to come, and now, as the sun began to paint the sky in shades of crimson beneath the blue, the mist came. Creeping forward from between the trees it began to cover the forest floor and fill the air with an almost suffocating thickness till all she could hear was her own quaking breath and see nothing but the grassy mound of earth in front of her.
A wave passing through the mist like ripples across water made the hairs on the back of the priestesses neck stand on end and for the air to change, no longer was it filled with the warmth of a summer morning but was cool and crisp and vibrated with a magic not of this world, a magic that radiated from the ancient power that lived in the earth beneath her feet.
Her eyes remained fixed on the top of the mound where the figure of a woman rose from the earth, smoothly and silently with all the grace of a flower in bloom. Her beauty was beyond words, surrounded by an ethereal glow that made her glisten amongst the mist, she had an aura that radiated ancient magics, this woman was of the Sidhe, the fairy folk, that centuries ago had taken leave of this world to spend eternity amongst the earth and to live on the fringe of this world and the next.
Around the slender shoulders of the Sidhe maiden was a cloak of grass and moss from which grew an array of colourful flowers and fragrant herbs, locks of loose bright red hair cascaded down her back in gentle waves while small bouncy curls framed a beautiful freckled face with pink supple lips and penetrating, glowing blue eyes.
The priestess knelt into a bow of deep respect and reverence “welcome my lady”
“Stand priestess, you have no reason to bow to me Morgause, what you risk this night is a debt that cannot be repaid”
Morgause obeyed and rose to face the Sidhe maiden who looked at her with such sadness that it tore at the priestesses heart
“We have only moments till the veil begins to close my Lady, It must be now”
From beneath the cloak of moss and grass the Sidhe maiden passed Morgause the precious bundle she had been clutching close to her chest, wrapped in a blanket of purple silk and gold thread Morgause pulled the bundle close to her breast and moved the material to reveal the face of a beautiful red headed baby girl.
The child barely stirred as her Mother stroked her plump rosy cheeks with her long pale finger, a small gesture of a parent in despair
“She will never be safe while she is here” spoke Morgause
“Though you speak the truth, it does nothing to lessen the grief”
Morgause took the hand of the Sidhe, the warmth and magic of her skin crackling beneath her own palm
“Forgive me my lady I know this is hard, but if you allow your daughter to stay then every day of her life she is in danger. She will be hunted till the day someone harms her and the evil of this world will spill her blood to steal the magic of your people. I do not need to tell you again my Lady what horrors can be unleashed upon the world if fairy magic is used by evil”
“I feel I have cursed her” the maiden said with a sob “I knew that to love a mortal man would expose us to untold dangers, first I lose my love and now, our child”
“You are not to blame my Lady, it was a prophecy and there is no magic stronger than destiny”
Morgauses words seemed to echo around the women, as though the mist itself had clung to their meaning, the Sidhe took a deep breath and from her cloak brought a thick gold bracelet, decorated with beautiful knotwork that framed the large stone of Amber in the middle of the band, with a shaking hand the Sidhe placed the bracelet into Morgause palm.
Her eyes shimmering with unshed tears the beautiful maiden of the fairy world leant and kissed her child for the final time
“There is no place in this world we can hide her my Lady, only time itself can keep her safe”
“The bracelets magic will only allow you to stay in that time for a few moments, leave her in the place you have chosen and return, if you keep her any longer than you should the bracelet will bring you both back and our plan will have failed, this can only be done once”
Morgause nodded, clutching the child close to her chest she placed the bracelet around her wrist and immediately felt the pull that tore both her and the baby in her arms from that time and pushed them centuries forward, to a place not yet seen and to a home that didn’t yet exist.
The trip was quick but to Morgause it felt like hours, she saw nothing but a bright light that burned at her eyes, her body felt aflame her soul as though it was being torn from its mortal frame, she wanted to scream but no sound would come out till finally the world came back into view and she found herself in a forest very different to the one she’d left behind.
Her body trembling, covered in sweat, her shaking hand moved the blanket aside to check on the girl, who was still sleeping soundly, thankfully her fairy blood protected her from the pain of such powerful magic, she had felt nothing.
Morgause pulled the child close once more and set off in a run, aware of the urgency of her quest, she needed to pass through the line of trees ahead of her and leave the girl at the home on the other side.
Her sister priestesses had prayed and cast spells in order to find the perfect place to hide the child, after many weeks a childless couple were found, a pair whose respect in an ancient religion had encouraged them to pray to a forgotten goddess to plead for the blessing of a child, it was this couple who would unknowingly raise a child of that ancient faith to adulthood.
The air smelt different here, the forest smelt the same but it was tinged with a foreign scent and immediately Morgause noticed that magic no longer lingered in the air here, this world felt empty and she was saddened to know that magic would one day disappear from the world.
Her heart pounding in her chest and her throat raw from her breathless panting the priestess finally made it through the line of trees and the stone cottage came into view on the other side of a dark stoned road. It was larger than homes of her time and the fires must be roaring for the brightest lights shone from every window.
The priestess felt the bracelet on her wrist begin to warm and willed her legs to run faster, finally she made it to the cottage door and set the baby down on the stone step, she thudded the door furiously and was relieved to hear voices on the other side just as the heat from the bracelet warmed further and she once again felt the agony of being pulled through time.
Her vision blurry and gasping for breath Morgause let her trembling legs collapse from beneath her and she fell to the floor. The forest around her was the same one she’d left only minutes before, the air clinging to the cold beads of sweat on her skin smelt familiar again and with each gulp of summer air the priestess soon found the strength to pick herself up from the mossy woodland floor.
But as Morgause’s strength returned so too did her instincts and she quickly became aware that something was very wrong. The Sidhe maiden had promised to wait for the priestesses return, for word that her child was safe but she had gone, there were no birds singing in the trees and the mist had started to retreat, the forest seemed empty, but Morgause was a priestess of the old faith and the magic that lingered in the air spoke to her and warned her that she was not alone.
The sound of rustling leaves from behind her made the priestess turn but before she could see who was approaching, her breath caught in her throat and a cold sharp blade was pushed against her neck.
“Where is she?” came the hiss of the priestesses captor
Morgause knew what she had done that night was dangerous, and the cost of such a mission may have been her life, it had been a thought that had terrified her but she’d still mustered the courage to take the child to safety. So, faced with the certainty of her death, Morgause was surprised to feel no terror, instead she felt a rush of utter defiance and even a smug smile across her lips
“She is in a place where you cannot follow, you’re plan has failed, you have lost”
A mocking huff escaped her attackers throat and the knife was pushed deeper into her skin, so deep that Morgause felt the trickle of warm fresh blood run from her neck to her chest, but still she felt no fear, knowing what was to come, she only felt peace.
“Know this witch, I will find her, there is no time or place you can take her where I cannot follow, you die now in the knowledge that your life ends in failure”
Morgause felt the sharp agony of the blade slicing across her throat, she felt the sharpness of the dagger as it was plunged into her back and into her side, but after a moment there was no pain. She could feel the life drain from her body and the light of the summers morning begin to fade from her dying eyes, but instead of hearing the gloating laugh of the person who had murdered her, she heard the soft singing of the Sidhe and felt the warm hand that came up from the earth to pull her spirit into the ground below, so she could be at peace with the fairy race for whom she had made the ultimate sacrifice.
